Hamas Welcomes UNSC Resolution Calling for Permanent Ceasefire in Gaza Strip
10:27 11.06.2024 (Updated: 11:51 11.06.2024)
© AP Photo / John Minchillo
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TUNIS (Sputnik) - Palestinian movement Hamas on Monday welcomed the UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution calling for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Earlier in the day, 14 UNSC members voted in favor of the resolution, while Russia abstained.
“Hamas welcomes what was included in the Security Council resolution regarding a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, a complete withdrawal [of military forces] from the Gaza Strip, prisoner exchange, reconstruction, the return of displaced persons to their places of residence, the rejection of any demographic change in the Gaza Strip or reduction of its territory, and the provision of the necessary assistance to our people in the strip,” the movement said in a statement.
Russia has many questions regarding the newly adopted US-drafted UN Security Council resolution, which welcomes a Gaza ceasefire proposal whose details are not known to the public, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzya said on Monday.
“We have a whole host of questions about the American draft resolution, whereby this Council welcomes some deal, the ultimate outlines of which are not known to anyone, perhaps except the mediators,” Nebenzya said during a UN Security Council meeting on Palestine and Israel.
The UN Security Council earlier on Monday adopted a US-drafted resolution welcoming the Gaza ceasefire proposal announced by President Joe Biden on May 31 and calling on Hamas to accept it.
The resolution essentially restates US President Biden's presentation of Israel's three-pronged plan for a cease-fire in Gaza.
The resolution states that the immediate full cessation of hostilities, the evacuation of Israeli forces from Gaza's residential areas, the release of Hamas captives, and the swapping of Palestinians who have been captured are all part of the first phase.
The release of the remaining hostages and the unconditional stop of hostilities, along with the evacuation of Israeli forces from Gaza, characterize the second phase.
The resolution states that the immediate full cessation of hostilities, the evacuation of Israeli forces from Gaza's residential areas, the release of Hamas captives, and the swapping of Palestinians who have been captured are all part of the first phase.
The release of the remaining hostages and the unconditional stop of hostilities, along with the evacuation of Israeli forces from Gaza, characterize the second phase.
A "multi-year reconstruction plan" for Gaza is to be launched, according to the initiative's third phase. Any attempt to alter the demographics or the territory of the Gaza Strip is condemned by the resolution, including any measures that would shrink the enclave's area.
